There's Always A Tomorrow
by Werepuppy Black
Summary: The Count and Mina Harker come face to face again.


_**A/N:**__ Yeah, this idea's been playing round my head a lot, I just thought I'd get it out and see what came of it. This particular story is set early in series two, after the first episode, but before the second one. Sorry for any out of characterness on Mina's part, this was my first time writing for title comes from a song from one of the concept recordings of Frank Wildhorn's **Dracula: the Musical

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**There's Always A Tomorrow  
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The castle was quiet, even though you would assume that night would be a hive of activity in a vampire's home. The Count sat on his throne, goblet of blood in hand, and mused on the odd circumstances of the past few days. Van Helsing... A Van Helsing in the same town as he had taken up residence in. Of course, because history did have this rather irritating way of repeating itself on him. All he needed now was for the man's estranged wife to be called Mina, or Lucy. It would just be his luck. He was only grateful that neither of his children, and yes, that also did mean the stake in his side that was Ingrid, had realised the connected. Of course, this Van Helsing wasn't a direct descendant. No, if he recall correctly the direct descendants currently live in London, one by the name of Rutherford, and the other going by Hellsing. But still, Vlad's teacher was close enough to have picked up on the slaying instinct that was prevalent throughout the entire Van Helsing family. "I always said there was a cruel mocking irony to my life," he muttered, lifting his goblet to his lips.

"But it's that mocking irony that you love so," a cool voice called into him. The Count swung his leg round from its perch over the arm of his throne, sitting straight up and leaning forward. Mina Murray, or was it Mina Harker that she was choosing to go by now, stepped forward, into the Count's eye view, a cool smile on her face.

"Mina," the Count said, his voice low and hypnotic. "How pleasant," a crooked smile made its way on to his face as he studied his old paramour. She always had been beautiful, of course, but he couldn't help but feel the pale skin did more for her than her breather blush ever had. Her beauty seemingly, to him at the very least, had grown since he last saw her and , as he noted, she was still favouring reds as her colour of choice. He was pleasantly pleased with this, red always had been a particular favourite of his. "And how long have you been watching myself and my family?" he question, though without the malice he would have provided had it been anyone else.

"A few days," Mina replied, "I was present at your Hunt Ball, though on seeing Magda, I felt it best not to show myself," she said with a dry smile. Mina and Magda had never gotten along, the Count had never expected them to, if he was honest about the whole thing. Magda had been favoured by him for three centuries before Mina was even born, so her being shoved aside for a lowly breather had not sat well with her. The 'whirl-wind' romance that he and Mina had shared had done nothing to quell Magda's hatred, so it wasn't often that they had seen each other. "Your family is looking well," Mina said, "Ingrid is becoming a fine young vampiress," she ignored that snort that had issued from the Count. She knew well that Ingrid was entirely her mother's daughter, and that the Count seemed to detest her for that reason alone. "And Vlad," a softer smiled crept on to her lips, "he is taller."

"Thirteen years is a long time for a spawn," the Count answered carefully. "Of course my Vladdy would be taller, my son and heir would not have the cheek to be short."

"You know fine well that is not what I meant," Mina said, moving to sit at an empty seat, gracefully positioning herself so that her feet were raised slightly. She loved them dearly, but there was a price to having spectacular shoes for every-day wear. She didn't actually know how to explain what she had meant so simply settled for: "He is becoming every bit as handsome as his father."

"Naturally," was the Count's gloating reply. Mina rolled her eyes slightly, but chose not to answer that. There was a comfortable silence between the two. "It's not unpleasant, seeing you again," the Count said, looking straight at the wall behind Mina, deliberately not focusing on her face. Mina smirked.

"It's not unpleasant seeing you again, either."


End file.
